Learn Hardcore Turkish: Ben deftere kalemle küçük bir harita çiziyorum. - I am drawing a small map in the notebook with a pen.

You can omit Ben. The ending -um in çiziyorum already shows the subject is “I.” Using Ben adds emphasis or contrast (e.g., “I am drawing…” as opposed to someone else).

Why is it defter-e (dative) and not defter-de (locative)?

With verbs like yazmak (to write) and çizmek (to draw), Turkish uses the dative (-e/-a) to mark the target surface: you direct the action “onto/into” something. Deftere çizmek is the idiomatic way. Defterde çizmek would sound odd; it suggests being “in the notebook” as a location rather than putting marks on it.

Why is it -e and not -a in deftere?

Vowel harmony. Defter has a front vowel (e), so the dative is -e. If the noun had a back vowel, you’d use -a (e.g., kitap → kitaba).

What does kalemle mean exactly, and can I write kalem ile?

Kalemle means “with a pen” (instrumental/comitative). İle can be written separately (kalem ile) or attached as -le/-la. After a vowel, you insert a buffer y: araba → arabayla. All are correct; the attached form is very common in speech.

Where are “a/an” and “the” in this sentence?

“A/an” is expressed by bir before the noun phrase: küçük bir harita = “a small map.” Turkish has no word for “the.” Definiteness is inferred from context or case marking. For oblique cases like the dative, context decides: deftere can be “to the notebook.” If you want “to a notebook,” say bir deftere. If it’s “to my notebook,” say defterime.

Why doesn’t küçük bir harita take the accusative (-ı)?

Because it’s an indefinite direct object. In Turkish, indefinite objects stay unmarked (no accusative). Using the accusative (haritayı) makes it definite/specific: Küçük haritayı çiziyorum = “I am drawing the small map (the one we know).”

Is the word order fixed? Can I move kalemle or deftere around?

Turkish is flexible, but the neutral pattern is S-(indirect object/goal)-(manner)-(object)-V. Your sentence is natural. You can say, for example:

Ben kalemle deftere küçük bir harita çiziyorum.
Ben deftere küçük bir harita kalemle çiziyorum. Changes mainly affect emphasis/rhythm; the meaning stays the same.

Why is it küçük bir harita and not bir küçük harita?

With the indefinite article, the usual order is adjective(s) + bir + noun: küçük bir harita. Bir küçük harita emphasizes the numeral “one small map” (counting/contrast) and is less common unless you specifically mean “one.”

How is çiziyorum built?

Root çiz- (draw) + progressive -iyor (spelled -yor but realized with an i/ı/u/ü via harmony; here it’s -iyor) + 1st singular -um → çiz-iyor-um = çiziyorum. The progressive suffix already contains the buffer y.

Could I use çizmekteyim instead of çiziyorum?

Yes, çizmekteyim also means “I am drawing,” but it’s more formal/literary or used for report-like tone. In everyday speech, çiziyorum is far more common.

Pronunciation tips for key words?

çiziyorum: roughly “chee-ZEE-yo-room” (stress near -yor), ç like “ch,” dotted i as in “sit.”
küçük: “kyoo-CHOOK” (front rounded ü), both ü like French “u.”
harita: “ha-REE-ta” (stress on REE).
kalemle: “ka-LEM-le.”
deftere: “def-TE-re.”

How do I say “to my notebook” or “with my pen”?

Add possessive before the case/ile:

defterim (my notebook) + dative → defterime.
kalemim (my pen) + -le → kalemimle. So: Ben defterime kalemimle küçük bir harita çiziyorum.

How would I say it in other tenses?

Simple past: Ben deftere kalemle küçük bir harita çizdim.
Past continuous: … çiziyordum.
Future: … çizeceğim.
Aorist (habitual): … çizerim.

Does deftere mean “onto” or “into”? How can I be more explicit?

-e/-a here is a general “to/onto/into” target for writing/drawing. If you need precision:

“onto (the surface)” → defterin üzerine.
“into (inside)” → defterin içine. Example: Ben defterin üzerine kalemle küçük bir harita çiziyorum.

Can I drop bir and say küçük harita çiziyorum?

You can, but it sounds more generic (“I draw small maps” as an activity) or plural-like in meaning. With a single, specific ongoing act, speakers usually include bir: küçük bir harita çiziyorum (“I’m drawing a small map” right now).